


Chaos Reigns

by Devientity



Category: The 100 (TV), The 100 Series - Kass Morgan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blood and Gore, Canon-Typical Violence, Grounder Culture, Multi, Politics, Sexual Assault, Survival, Wells Jaha Lives
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-24
Updated: 2017-09-07
Packaged: 2018-09-26 16:03:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,295
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9910430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Devientity/pseuds/Devientity
Summary: Darien Kane embraces earth as a new chance at life and an escape from her past. Along with the other 99 prisoners of the Ark, she must now survive in a world their ancestors left over a century ago…only thing, the ground isn’t as uninhabited as they think





	1. Dark Space

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: I simply had to jump on this band wagon, especially with Season 3 over and Season 4 introducing another end of world. I will try to be as original as possible while still keeping true to my AU-fixation with changing canon and thus, everything involved. 
> 
> Note: Yes, Kane having a child (adopted or otherwise) has been done but I’ve had this idea for a long while and it just didn’t fit in any other way. 
> 
> Warnings: Blood, gore, death, violence, language and more. AU, very, very AU. This will also be a mashup of the series with some elements from the books as I liked the series better, but enjoyed some of the facts from the book as well. Warnings for implied rape (not condoned but it is an element so apologies for any triggers.)
> 
> Note* If a certain scene or dialogue is not mentioned, presume it happens as per canon unless stated otherwise.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the 100, including the characters used from the series, though I may give some names and personalities to any of the grounders/original 100 etc. I only own any OC’s I personally create. I do not own any dialogue/or parts taken from the canon script. Standard disclaimer applies for every chapter.
> 
> Italics are usually to emphasize an emotion if someone is speaking or to show internal thought.  
> Bold Italics are memories

" _It's been almost a hundred years since the Great War that destroyed our Planet, the Earth, and nearly ended humanities entire existence._

_Nearly a hundred years since the few who managed, fled to space to ensure Humanities survival…_

_Truth is…the bombs and war? Merely sped up the process and we'd already been killing our planet for years._

_We poisoned it._

_We depleted it._

_Took more than we should…_

_Theft, greed, the inability to compromise, more violence…_

_It just made it easier when whatever was left, finally went up in flames._

_Since that time, Humanity had held on by a thread governed through strict rules and even stricter consequences._

_For all of us in space, there was only the Ark; one colony formed from the twelve operational space stations remaining at the end of the world._

_Everything we ever did, every decision or allocation of resources, was about our species survival so that we may one day return to the ground._

_The ground was the dream…_

_Up in space, wasting away…That was the reality._

_Until everything changed...and everything we knew was merely a presumption of what we found._

_This is our story._

_-Memoirs of Clarke Griffon._

* * *

… _ **Fingers grasping and pulling, squeezing, nails biting into flesh. Hot breath on her neck and muttered words crawl across her skin…**_

Darien ran with one goal as her point of focus, footsteps echoing as she sped through the hallways of Factory station, avoiding all elevators and keeping to the stairs and smaller passageways as much as possible.

Simple enough when one knew every inch of the Ark the way she did.

After years of roaming, exploring, and documenting every fact and facet of all that she could find, it really wasn't too surprising that her ability to navigate the station came as easily as breathing.

Grey eyes flickered left in time to catch an opening door and she darted into an opposite corridor.

_**...Clothes tearing under too much force and a clatter of one lone chair sliding across the room…a glass shattering as the table is knocked over in the ensuing chaos...** _

_**Fear.** _

_**Shock.** _

It was still too early for anyone to really be starting their day and even the latest guard shift had ended hours ago. The next watch that took its place wouldn't happen for a few more minutes and she knew which areas to avoid as it happened.

But even she knew that no routine was ever steadfast. Changes could happen. Mistakes could be made.

Keeping to the shadows, every movement and turn was steadily calculated while still maintaining a swift pace and a careful eye on her surroundings.

_This way, she wouldn't be taken by surprise. This way, no one would notice the blood…_

_**...Fists pounding, teeth biting, tears…Screams, her screams…** _

_**Desperation.** _

_**Panic.** _

Darien quickly stepped into the next hall and up another flight of stairs, her heart beating loudly in her ears while mindful not to touch the railing as she approached the familiar landmarks leading towards Phoenix's residential area and one of the few entrances into the Ark's government and science sector.

_Just a little further and she'd be able to clean up…just a few moments and she could think, feel, break…_

_Breathe..._

Doorways of homes and windows reflecting space, passed by in a blur and she refused to pause for even a second despite the pain in her ribs or the acute numbness in her one arm and the burning across her face and in her chest.

There was too much fear that someone would see her appearance and stop her from getting home. Enough fear that she didn't want to face the truth of what had happened and what had nearly happened.

_Maybe it would all become just part of a terrible dream. Maybe she could pretend it had never happened._

_**...So much blood…Sticky, hot and metallic. Gasping, stuttered breaths that weren't hers…** _

_**Anger.** _

_She'd done a lot in her fifteen years of life, hating the injustice witnessed daily, hating the hypocrisy of their world and yet hating that she understood it too. Fighting for some semblance of the humanity they were meant to have, feeling guilty because she knew there were limitations, wanting to be free in as many ways as possible without breaking the laws (and sometimes breaking them anyway), and yet this…this was..._

… _ **Choked words and desperate pleas for help…bloody hand prints tainting her marred skin…curses…**_

_**Disgust.** _

_**Rage.** _

At the thought, her eyes watered and her vision blurred due to something other than fatigue, but she could finally slow to a normal pace as she reached the entrance of the home that was shared with her grandmother, pausing hesitantly in the corridor as the reality set in.

"P-Please still be asleep…" She murmured, begged, and only spared a second to take in a deep breath before entering as quietly as she could in case this was not true.

It was all for nothing though when her entrance revealed the modest room to contain three armed guards, as well as her grandmother seated at their kitchen table with wide, red-rimmed eyes that immediately flickered to take in the blood all over her granddaughter's arms, legs and even smeared across her face.

Eyes that only grew wider at the obvious injuries, torn clothes and almost indecently exposed flesh.

"Nana…" All the adrenaline fled and Darien wilted at the sight of the woman who had practically raised her.

In retrospect, maybe she should have gone somewhere else, (hidden in the vents or formed some type of alibi), but that probably would have meant involving the few friends she had and she'd never be able to live with herself if they got hurt due to her actions.

"Darien Kane, you're under arrest for the assault on Alan Everett."

Two of the guards stepped forward without preamble to grab her forearms while the one who had spoken, held out the restraints.

_A part of her wondered how they'd found out so quickly. Another part of her was just glad these guards were none that she knew._

_She didn't know if she could face any of them judging her._

"Oh starlight, it's not true…it can't be true." Vera Kane babbled tearfully and Darien wanted so badly to be able to deny it, if only for her grandmother's sake. "Say it's not true…"

"I'm so sorry that I've hurt you, nana…" She whispered with regret instead, choking on sobs that so badly wanted to break free.

The guards cuffed her arms behind her back and her grandmother began to cry fresh tears, seemingly unsure of what to do.

_Please don't cry for me._

Darien made no attempt to fight the guards as they lead her away from her home, only desperately wishing she could comfort the woman who had been the only constant in her life.

A woman she had betrayed with her thoughtless actions over the years. Actions that had, unintentionally but nevertheless, led to this result.

_She was always so careful...She tried so hard to follow the rules and still try her hardest to fight for what she believed was right._

Out into the corridor, the Ark had finally begun to wake and people littered the dingy walkways as they got ready for the day.

They would now bear witness to all she had tried to hide.

Startled whispers rippled through the crowd and quickly turned to horror around her. Darien could only focus on her own thoughts and the clawing itch that shivered under her skin.

_She shouldn't have been there tonight…she should have listened to her instincts._

_She should have listened to Clarke._

Keeping her eyes averted from the growing throng of people, Darien bit her lip and swallowed the lump in her throat.

' _What ifs' wouldn't change anything now…_

_Their world wasn't fair and regardless of what had happened, regardless of her family connections, she'd be condemned._

_She'd be a criminal._

_They wouldn't care about the why and what, only the fact that a crime had been committed._

_...then he'd finally send her to the Skybox._

" _ **You can scream for me Darien. There's no one here to hear but me."**_

* * *

The guards ended up leading Darien to a more secluded room, rather than the usual criminal tribunal held before the Council and she sighed almost in relief at something familiar yet at the same moment, also wanted to scoff at the hypocrisy.

_It was just like every other time._

_Of course he'd want this as quiet as possible._

… _but in the end, it can't be the same…not after everyone who saw me…not after what happened…_

_Despair. Hate. Rage._

_It's a mantra in her head now and she can't seem to ignore the words or the emotions that it invokes._

Carefully seated at a small steel table with her arms still firmly secured behind her back, the guards left without a word. None of them had spoken to her since informing her of the reasons for her arrest.

Darien took in her bare surroundings and tried not to move too much. Exhaustion had overtaken any lingering numbness and she was pretty sure some nasty bruises had begun to show even under all the blood and grime that caked her body.

_It was starting to itch. And by Gaia, her body hurt so much._

She glanced at her arms and her breath unexpectedly hitched at the sight and feel of her normally pale skin and all she wants is to scrub until it's gone, until her skin is clean.

_Despair. Hate. Rage._

That doesn't seem like it is going to happen for a while though, so she contents herself with closing her eyes and pretending everything is fine, that her skin and clothes are not covered in a mix of someone else's blood and hers. She pretends that her body doesn't spasm with agony every time she shifts in her seat.

She forces back the nausea and bile attempting to rise in her throat.

Her thoughts turn to what will happen next and she's almost relieved at the thought of going to lock up, for that is surely how this day will end.

_I wonder if he'll even be the one to sentence me…_

The door opens and she looks up expecting dark hair and even darker eyes, but instead she's left staring into the icy blue and blonde of a former Chancellor.

Diana Sydney.

"Why are you here?" She cannot help blurting in surprise and immediately wishes she'd just remained quiet when the woman's lips curl into that awful smile that Darien has always hated.

_Tread carefully._

"My, you're a mess, aren't you Miss Kane." Diana says as she takes seat across from her, that sickening smile still in place and derision in her words. "Poor dear, were you perhaps expecting someone else? Your father maybe?"

_Despair. Hate. Rage._

Darien glares but says nothing in reply. She knows how Diana Sydney operates. How she can turn the most innocent of words into something sinister. This woman didn't need extra ammunition to make things worse.

And Gaia damn it, she could make things so much worse.

Diana seems to realise she won't get a response, so instead places the folder she'd been carrying onto the table surface and folds her hands daintily on top of it.

"Now, we have some things to discuss so I sincerely hope you won't be wasting my time with your usual stubbornness and actually co-operate for once. Who knows, it might make things easier in the future."

_Easier for who?_

Darien bites back a retort even though she's eager to just spit in this hags face and be done with it.

Diana Sydney was Chancellor for only three years before Thelonious Jaha was appointed to take her place, as the council felt she didn't have the correct temper to manage the Ark and its numerous responsibilities.

Or at least, that was the nice way of putting it without opening a huge can of political nonsense and scandal that their era just couldn't afford.

This had all happened eight years ago, before Darien was old enough to care and now she was old enough to appreciate the change.

These days, the woman only had enough power to irritate people with her selfish desire to be important and to affect people's lives.

"We'll start simple. You were out after curfew last night, why?" Diana questions coldly.

_That was simple? What was she fishing for? Why start off so vaguely?_

"I didn't realize being out late was an offence that warranted arrest." She answered blandly and hid a smirk when the older woman bristled, her blue eyes narrowing.

"I believe the guards already mentioned the reason for this whole situation, Miss Kane."

"Yes, that's why I don't understand why you're asking me questions about curfew if you already have your crime." Darien sneered in reply, turning her glare away to hide the tremble in her lips and choosing to stare at her reflection in the table's surface.

_Despair. Hate. Rage._

"Fine, I have two witness accounts that you participated in illegal activities last night; some of which include gambling and fighting." Diana snapped. "Would you care to explain now, why you were out after curfew and why someone would claim you were breaking a law?"

_Ah, she wants to implicate more people for crimes. Greedy woman._

"Gambling?" Darien frowned thoughtfully. "Hmm, I don't recall any gambling and you said these people saw me actually participating in something so against the Ark's rules. Your witnesses must have been mistaken."

Diana's fingers twitched in an irritated fashion as she snapped back a reply.

"You were seen and spoken to by-"

"And surely if you had witnesses who saw me taking part in such illegal activities as you put it and who had actually spoken to me." Darien then interrupted and actually allowed a hint of a smirk to appear. "Then these witnesses were most likely part of said activities and would also have to be tried for the same crime. After all, how could they testify against me without claiming to have been involved as well and we both know any infiltration to uncover rule breaking, needs to be sanctioned by the council."

The silent, 'we both know you never sanction much of anything' was left unsaid.

Diana's smile was razor sharp as she leaned forward and spoke again.

"As you seem to have all the answers, how about we get to the heart of the matter Miss Kane and while I would love to bring you to justice for all your little wrong doings, I'll have to settle for the one thing I can actually pin on you."

"Oh?"

"You were arrested for the assault of Alan Everett. He was admitted to the medical bay about an hour ago and with an eyewitness who saw you leave the room that Everett was found in, as well as the blood on your person which will most likely be matched to his, you will find that I need very little to have you sent to the Skybox."

_Despair. Hate. Rage._

Darien grimaced and felt a bit of her mustered bravado dissipate.

_This was beginning to feel more and more like a witch hunt._

"Now you will explain for our records why you assaulted the young man?" A demand, not a question nor any hint of potential concerned hope that maybe Darien was possibly a victim. Then again, Diana Sydney had always been a bit too eager to bring her to justice for so many escapades (some that weren't even remotely connected to her), so why would the blond sycophant be fair now when for once she was right and Darien was actually to blame (at least in part).

Darien tilted her head and leaned back slightly, hiding her fear, pain, anger and any other thoughts behind what had sadly become an effective mask of sarcasm and blandness over the last few years whenever dealing with anyone that wasn't her grandmother or closest friends.

_This world she had been born into, was just a farce and she was beginning to hate playing its game._

"Do I have to write a list for you?" She bit out, avoiding any semblance of the truth and enjoying the flash of annoyance in the woman's face across from her.

_He was just a stupid boy who thought he could just take whatever he wanted and not expect retaliation…_

"You have one chance at a confession." Diana snapped, slamming her hand on the file. "Why did you beat up the boy? His parents deserve some honesty."

The file no doubt contained descriptions of the scene and whoever had snitched considering how quickly this had all been discovered (she didn't doubt some of Everett's friends had known what would happen, what he had been planning), but she didn't care.

Her eyes flicked to the small camera watching them in the corner of the room to her left. She turned back to look at the woman in front of her.

"I have no explanation for you. You've already made your own assumptions."

_There, that was the truth in a sense._

_She refused to bear her thoughts to this backstabbing, manipulative-_

"This isn't a game child; a person is dead!" Diana now shouted, seeming to give up the charade of trying to be the good little hero of the people that she pretended to be.

Darien finds she cannot help actually flinching this time at her words.

_Dead…_

_Despair. Hate. Rage._

"Good." She muttered despite the sudden awful feeling in her chest and the way her eyes watered treacherously even when she didn't think she had anymore tears left in her. "Good…"

 _He deserved it!_ Her mind roared, refusing the guilt even while her heart caved and she battled to maintain an unaffected look as she processed this new information.

_He deserved it._

_Murderer…I'm a murderer…_

_He hurt me...tried to..._

_She's done a lot over the years but this..._

_Dead…_

_No witness to even prove her side of the story._

"He was Councilman Everett's son, a highly respected figure in society and not something that can be easily overlooked this time around." Diana said as she stood. "Your father won't have a say in this and you'll not just get a slap on the wrist."

"Then don't." Darien spat, suddenly angry, wrists straining in her bonds as she leaned forward.

How could Diana Sydney stand there and talk about him and throw it in her face like it changed things? The man that claimed to be Darien's father but had never known how to do the job just as she had never understood how to be his daughter.

How dare she bring him up and use it like it was a tool that could wielded against her.

"I've never understood why he treated you differently, time and time again. We have certainly floated others for less." The woman continues, her eyes dark and unyielding as she voices her thoughts.

Darien shuddered but remained quiet.

What Diana said was true, but it was also true that they didn't float children under the age of eighteen and at fifteen years old, she would only be locked up, regardless of the crime she had committed.

_Or would she?_

_Would it matter if she explained to the council? Would it change anything if she confessed and told Diana the details, if she begged to be heard?_

_And to actually tell them what had happened...what had almost happened...what he did..._

_Despair. Hate. Rage._

"Will you not make a statement for his parents?" Diana asks and for a moment, Darien can almost see past the vitriol and the power-hungry ambitiousness to the small part of this woman that actually might care about the people she fought for in some small way. "They should know why some little monster took their son's life."

And then her moment of compassion and understanding is gone.

"Fuck you."

Diana steps back at the curse and then clicks her tongue.

"In conclusion of our little discussion, we must assume that the council, the school and any person who has dealt with you on any level, have missed the growing signs of concern that show you to be an unstable and dangerous child. Every mishap that's led to this moment." She states and Darien bristles at the insult. "Such a shame that your cries for attention have led to such a tragedy that could have been avoided if the right people had disciplined you when it was required."

Something in her snaps completely and she suddenly doesn't care.

She's so tired of pretending. So tired of lying to herself.

"Attention." Darien interrupts angrily, shouting almost screaming, shaking as her anger escalates. "I've never needed anything from anyone, especially not from a bunch of hypocrites on this stupid Ark. And I certainly don't need to sit here and be belittled and insulted by someone of your _outstanding_ character, no matter what crime I committed. So stop being such a damn fraud and just send me away permanently already. Then I won't be such an apparent problem anymore. Better yet, float me if that damn bastard was so important because I regret nothing and if given a chance, I would do it all over again, again and again!"

She slumps back in her seat and everything that has occurred in the last couple hours, finally catches up, leaving her drained and terribly exhausted. There's the taste of blood in her mouth that must have been from biting her lip at some point during her rant and Darien almost whispers out the next words that will no doubt seal her fate and end this charade.

"As far as I'm concerned, I did the Ark a favor."

The woman glares at her.

 _Good_ , Darien thought. _That was something she could understand_.

"Guards, I'm done." Diana Sydney calls as she turns away and opens the door. "See to it that prisoner 422 is treated and makes it to her cell. There's no need for a formal hearing, my report will suffice."

Darien blinked away tears, but she couldn't ignore them any longer. She was fifteen…and she was finally going to prison after so many second chances.

"Oh Nana, please forgive me for leaving you." She sobbed silently. _May we meet again._

Darien doesn't know that her father will be shown the trial, nor that it will be some years before they see each other again. And when they do, everything would have changed.

"Prisoner 422, stand." A guard orders and Darien stands slowly and tearfully manages a wry, bitter smile.

_Maybe it was better that he wasn't here._

She suppresses the urge to flinch when the guards take her by the shoulders and begin to lead her out.

_Despair. Hate. Rage._

The mantra continues, but now it's more of a whisper instead of the monstrous raging torrent of emotion that had filled her so completely. And in the background, a new word joins the list.

_Fear._

* * *

Marcus Kane watches the recording of the trial with hard eyes while his heart stuttered in its disbelief.

This wasn't Darien.

Even with her blatant disregard for the rules and constant need to always challenge everything, she'd never been so ruthless or dispassionate...she'd never done something so violent.

" _You have one chance at a confession." Diana snapped while she slammed her hand on a file. "Why did you beat up the boy? His parents deserve some honesty."_

He watched Darien's grey eyes flicker to the camera, and his insides curl at the dark bruising that spreads across her cheeks and he wants to leave and find her so he can talk to her face to face and get some answers that make sense.

When she does reply, it's in a voice that is hard and distant and it's almost easy for him to accept that maybe she is guilty.

" _I have no explanation for you. You've already made your own assumptions."_

_Why doesn't she defend herself? She's always had valid reasoning, an answer and excuse for everything she's done before, so why is this different?_

_Her own rations for poorer citizens...medicine for a sick friend who had exceeded his allocation...a sweet for a small child whose parents were gone...Books stolen from the library but always returned in perfect condition...Gambling to win items and then distributing them among the people who needed it…_

_They had never been actual crimes and she'd always hovered on the edge of the line that separated them from true law-breaking, but now…_

This girl seemed so cold and angry and while he doesn't know her as well as he should, he knows the girl in that holding cell is vastly different from the passionate and generous person that he knows his daughter to be, regardless of her mistakes.

Why wasn't she fighting back?

" _This isn't a game child; a person is dead!"_

" _Good."_

Marcus Kane stills at the word and her lack of emotion. _No..._

_She couldn't mean it._

In his shock, he doesn't notice the flinch or the fact that she's moments away from just breaking into pieces.

" _He was Councilman Everett's son, a respected figure of society and not something that can be easily overlooked this time around." Diana says as she stands up. "Your father won't have a say in this and you'll not just get a slap on the wrist."_

He watches his daughter freeze and even he knows that's the worst thing Diana Sydney could have ever claimed. Darien has never expected better treatment even when he had tried to give it to her in whatever way he could without going against his own beliefs.

" _Then don't."_

Diana's next words make him bristle angrily. Darien was far from unstable and yet...

A part of him wasn't sure how to reconcile this version of his daughter with the version he had in mind.

" _In conclusion of our little discussion, we must assume that the council, the school and any person who has dealt with you on any level, have missed the growing signs of concern that show you to be an unstable and dangerous child. Every mishap that's led to this moment." Diana states. "Such a shame that your cries for attention have led to such a tragedy that could have been avoided if the right people had disciplined you when it was required."_

Marcus Kane sees the moment his daughter loses control and recoils at the bitter anger in her eyes.

" _Attention." Darien interrupts angrily, screaming. "I've never needed anything from anyone, especially not from a bunch of hypocrites_ _on this stupid Ark. And I certainly don't need to sit here and be belittled and insulted by someone of your outstanding character, no matter what crime I committed. So stop being such a damn fraud and just send me away permanently already. Then I won't be such an apparent problem anymore. Better yet, float me if that damn bastard was so important because I regret nothing and if given a chance, I would do it all over again, again and again!"_

She slumps back in her seat.

" _As far as I'm concerned, I did the Ark a favor."_

Marcus Kane stiffened and any emotion that may have been visible on his face, suddenly fades behind a cold, professional mask that he uses frequently.

_How can she say that? Was she lying or telling the truth? He couldn't know for sure._

_But if she was…_

_What choice did he have but to accept the ruling?_

The recording ends and Marcus shuts his eyes.

"Don't worry your pretty little head Marcus. I've taken care of everything and you don't have to get involved at all." Diana murmurs beside him reassuringly and he's almost forgotten she was even in the room. "This whole untidy mess will be dealt with."

"You were egging her on and that's not even the whole session." He snaps, turning from the monitor and ignoring the duty-bound part of him that yells to drop it and let it be. The part that tells him she's a lost cause. "I want to see the rest of it."

Diana smiles.

"The rest doesn't matter and as a biased party, the council has banned you from involving yourself in the matter. Even Thelonious won't allow it."

"How convenient." He mutters, for a moment despising the Ark's rule and briefly wondering if this was how Darien felt all the time.

"Don't stress so Marcus." Diana murmurs, brushing past him. "If she behaves in there, I'll be more than happy to see that she has a fair retrial despite her violent nature."

He heads for the door, tired of this woman and the whole day that he wishes he could reverse because he doesn't understand a thing that has happened in the past twenty-four hours despite what he's been told.

"It was for the Ark Marcus and the Ark must have order. Even you know that our continued survival is the most important thing. That is why no criminals can be afforded any leniency...not even family."

He slams the door behind him, angry at Sydney and angry at himself and this whole damn thing because he knows the rules, he knows the laws...

_What was he supposed to think? What was he supposed to do?_

He doesn't even know what he's supposed to tell his mother who was the first to find him when her granddaughter was arrested.

Darien has beaten a boy to death and her only excuse was that he deserved it? For what reason? Had there been a fight? Had he insulted her or had he been insulted by her? Was it something small that went completely out of control or was there a deeper meaning he was missing?

Was his daughter really a murderer?

Marcus cursed.

There were so many questions and he couldn't know the answers without further investigation but what would that matter?

The blood found on Darien was a match to Everett. Abagail Griffon had confirmed it.

The interrogation recording had her confessing to it.

There was a witness to the crime.

All the evidence was damning and even if he found out the 'why' she would still be locked away because all crimes were punishable on the Ark and...

And family was no exception.

He faltered and paused, taking a breath. Angry, confused and morally torn between the two duties entrusted to him.

Maybe the Sky Box was a better place for her right now...He'd known she was going to get into bigger trouble one of these days with her escapades growing wilder with every year she got older.

And now she had finally found trouble where even he could not do a thing about it.

"I'm sorry Selene...I've tried to protect her." He muttered, resigning himself to the situation and deciding to soldier forward like he always did.

He glanced out a window to look at the earth that was so close and yet so very far away.

"But even I can't protect her from herself."

* * *

_In the time it had taken the guards to escort Darien Kane to her cell, the news of Alan Everett's death and her involvement had been prevented from going any further than Phoenix's walls._

_Thus, only a handful knew the truth while the remaining population were only vaguely aware that a Councilman's son had died tragically and that the person responsible, had been arrested._

_And so, everyone went about their day with the knowledge that the culprit would soon be floated as per the usual outcome of any crime (none even contemplating for a second that the criminal was a child), while Phoenix went into a minor lock down to hide the uproar taking place within._

_Friends and family to the accused pleaded for answers, visits, anything so they could understand what had happened._

_Family and friends to the deceased demanded blood, retribution and justice._

_The Council did what it always did and the criminal was tried befitting the crime and sentenced to the Sky Box due to her age._

_Life moved on, other crimes eventually overshadowed the death of one teenager and in the background, future events were set in motion by the scheming and planning of others._

_Almost three years would pass before everything would change forever._


	2. The World Away From Earth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Warnings and Disclaimer can be found in the first chapter (Prologue) and will not be repeated unless necessary e.g. a particularly violent chapter/implied sex etc.
> 
> For those who read this story before the edit, I have removed Max Fraser from summary/story as I have noticed he wouldn't fit in where this story would be going. He will return in a different 100 AU fanfic and since he wasn't introduced nor fleshed out as of yet, you guys won't really miss him.
> 
> Darien's sentencing has also had a bit of a change, excluding Marcus from the actual interview and bringing in Diana Sydney who I have plans for.

_She's only six years old but for as long as Darien can remember and as much as her young mind can understand, the only people in her life have been her grandmother and the man she is told is her father._

_She doesn't count the annual checkups with the doctor._

_Darien doesn't refer to him as 'father' partly because it has always been a particular request of his, but given that he rarely visits (aside from ensuring she is causing no trouble and doing well in school), she has no reason to object to such a wish. There is so little a connection between them that he is practically a stranger and even less affection, and that makes it easier to accept that this man doesn't wish to be part of her life aside from whatever obligation he may feel._

_It's sort of sad and at the same time alright, because even though she hasn't got the seemingly perfect family as many other children her age do, she is content with her nana who has always been there._

_After all, it could always be worse. Darien could have no one like the other children in the Ark's only orphanage._

_Her nana is the best, Darien likes to believe._

_Even with the older woman's little eccentricities and her religious beliefs, she is the kindest person Darien has ever known and has the most wonderful way of telling stories._

_The stories she invents herself solely through memory and something called imagination, those are the ones Darien treasures most._

_Darien finds comfort in telling stories._

* * *

**Skybox – Present Day**

Darien Kane began her mornings the same way she had for the past several months and counting; by staring into the outside space that could be viewed through her cell's window.

During these moments, she tried to remember which stars formed what constellations all while she stretched and worked her way through every exercise and training drill she could recall from her limited time of having learned them or given what she could actually accomplish in the area she had been confined to.

The window could be considered one of the rare luxuries available to the few prisoners scattered throughout the top floor of the Skybox's isolated ward.

It was essentially a row of cells dedicated to prisoners who could not be kept with the other inmates, either due to the violence of their nature and past crimes, or because of paranoia from the council if their crime were of a more sensitive sort that they could not afford to have become public knowledge.

Thus, on this floor one never saw many excursions unless it was for a shower, medical emergency or the day of some unfortunate soul's retrial. And even then, it was scheduled so that no prisoner ever saw the other.

The worst part about being here, was that she had too much time to think and not enough to focus on.

The boredom and lack of creativity, ate away at her mind and she had frequent bouts of restlessness that more often than not, accumulated into fits of despair and melancholy.

After all, there was only so much one could do with their own mind as company.

Darien paused briefly in her routine to roll up the sleeves of her thin cotton shirt before starting again and letting her thoughts wander aimlessly.

She had in the first few months of her sentencing, known the pleasures of communal incarceration.

This had included a paired room with a quiet girl named Lizbeth (whose crime had been lying about already receiving her rations) and their lunchtimes spent in a communal cafeteria on the bottom level.

It hadn't been too bad since they got a change of scenery even if only for one meal a day, and access to the small library available, as well as the ability to talk to other prisoners even though under a strict watch.

Darien could even avoid the stigma of being a Councilman's daughter for no one knew her last name and sharing your life story wasn't exactly a necessary requirement given that most of the Skybox inhabitants didn't want to share any intimate knowledge for fear of it being used against them.

Knowledge, it seemed, was currency among the delinquents.

For a time, all was well considering what she had done, and the council had even approved her visitation rights eventually. Though at the time, only Callie Cartwig had gained access to check on her and Darien was pretty sure that having a child in the Skybox was an embarrassment that Marcus Kane would distance himself from entirely for he never once visited.

Which suited her fine. At least she could tolerate Callie.

What hurt was that her grandmother had never once shown and she didn't know why.

_Was she ashamed? Did she hate Darien as much as Darien had hated hurting her?_

Darien blinked away tears along with the memories and refocused on her exercises, reminding herself of Callie's rules as she did so.

Callie was a guard who worked for the Ark's police force and mostly under her father, Marcus Kane (and if rumors were to be believed, shared his bed as well).

The woman had been Darien's instructor for almost two years before the day she got arrested.

Letting loose a sigh, the teen knelt to begin the next set of exercises on her rather short mental list.

Though always jumping at the chance to learn something new (as was her bane and passion), training with Callie had solely been her father's way of hoping that by expending energy through combat and discipline, it would lessen the amount of trouble she always seemed to be in.

Though Darien couldn't quite confirm that it had done anything to help in that department...

 _...at least it had proven she could defend herself_ , she thought darkly but quickly shoved the thought away before it could fester.

She forced her thoughts back to Callie and how much she had enjoyed their sessions. In their time together, they had covered many different styles and tactics (an area Callie thrived in due to her Asian ancestry, with the knowledge passed down through generations) and Darien had grown to like the woman's soft-spoken and steadfast manner.

…even if the idea of anyone dating her father was a bit weird and something which in all honesty she could have lived without knowing

Darien stopped and took a deep breath, letting her body touch the cool metal surface of her cell before relaxing completely and finally freeing herself of the night's latest bout of terrors.

She allowed herself a bitter smile.

From that first day in the Skybox, she should have known that life wouldn't simplify just because she'd been arrested.

She should have known that everything that had happened with Everett, would come back to haunt her eventually.

When Darien had first been brought in, clean from the drying blood and only mottled in bruises with her dark red hair cropped to her shoulders, she'd felt hunted by the stares of her fellow inmates and trapped between the confines of her cell.

The nights had been filled with torturous dreams and violent tremors, only to wake thrashing in her roommate's arms.

The days were then filled with skittish movements at every male glance, wandering at every intent, or hissed curses and hidden flinches at every catcall, whistle and dirty innuendo even when not directed her way.

She had started to meditate to manage her emotions and began working out to expend any frustration so as not to snap at anyone.

And for a while, all was well. The self-subscribed physical therapy helped.

Then one day, a boy her age touched her shoulder and she broke his nose before she had even realized she'd thrown a fist his way.

He'd only wanted to return a pencil she had dropped.

That day proved she hadn't quite bottled up her issues as much as she had hoped.

The guards denied her rations for the evening as punishment and she began to work harder to deal with what was most likely mild PTSD.

A few more minor incidents followed and she was punished accordingly.

Dislocated fingers, bruised eyes and split lips, followed by denied visitations, loss of rations or isolation from other prisoners.

Lizbeth eventually asked to be moved to another cell.

Not by her own volition, but because Darien had pleaded with her to do so, refusing to unintentionally hurt the girl should she get caught by one of Darien's unexpected rages.

And Darien only tried harder to keep things controlled. To always be in control.

It didn't work as well as she would have liked.

One day, she got into a fight with a guy after he had refused to take a hint when she had repeatedly said no to his flirtations.

Once he was treated for a fractured arm and collar bone, the guards classified her as a danger to have around others and promptly upgraded her living quarters to ones located on the top floor where she had meals brought to her and only left when it was time to shower or use the bathroom.

Darien found that the solitude suited her much better and calmed the raging sorrow and hurt that festered deep within.

It wasn't healthy to not deal with her problem with human interactivity but then again, she was a condemned Ark prisoner that had been arrested for murder. Her future had few options and being able to socialize normally didn't matter for one of them.

"Rations for the day." Came the voice from the other side of her door.

Darien glanced at the pack that was dropped in through a slot before it was closed again and sighed before starting her routine all over again.

_Just another day on the Ark..._

* * *

_Whenever Darien is asked about her mother by anyone, she can only shrug awkwardly. She simply has no memories of the woman that died when she was born._

_The few facts she has gleaned over the years, are simple things her Nana can recall._

_Like how her mother had a beautiful singing voice and loved to read. Especially the novels involving adventure and mysterious make-believe worlds. Darien also knows her mother's favorite story was Oliver Twist, how her favorite colour was green and how she liked to sing while cleaning._

_There are more personal things like the fact that they both share the same dark red hair colour and grey eyes and that without a doubt, Nana knows her mother would have loved her._

_Darien dares not question her father on the subject even when Nana insists he would be the best person to ask._

_The one time she does, his dark eyes glimmer with an emotion that both scares and saddens her, even though she's not sure what it is and it will be years before she does. So she leaves him alone regarding the subject and keeps the little treasures her grandmother has been able to share, close to her heart._

* * *

**Present Day – The Council Room**

_He couldn't accept this._

Marcus Kane paced the length of the council room, anger turning into despair and hopelessness, then turning into anger all over again.

_Why had he expected any different?_

"I am sorry Marcus but Darien will turn eighteen long before the dropship is scheduled to attempt the trip to Earth." Jaha said, his voice laced with sympathy and it made Marcus sick.

"Thelonious, you have to make an exception. Please!" He asked, at this point, close to begging.

_It couldn't end this way, not when there was a sliver of hope. Not when there was so little time left. This was his only chance to fulfill his promise to Selene at least in some way._

"I can't Marcus, you know that I can't." The Chancellor all but snapped in reply. He was growing tired of having this argument. "There are other prisoners who have been denied due to age as well. I can't favor one over countless others."

"You mean Everett won't let her get the chance!"

"Just what are you implying?" Jaha hissed, finally standing from his seat at the council table.

Marcus raised his hands and stepped back.

"I'm sorry, that was uncalled for." He murmured. "But I need you to change your mind Thelonious. She won't get a fair retrial, not with Everett or even Sydney presiding over it and you know it. The mission to Earth is her one chance."

Jaha sighed.

"I know this is hard for you, but you have to see the position it puts me in." He said. "I'm trying to keep things fair for everyone."

 _But it wasn't fair_ , Marcus wanted to snap. _It hadn't been fair from the start. Nothing was fair._

He'd been denied the ability to visit his daughter and her opinion of him had most likely grown no better over the years, while he constantly battled through his determination to believe she had a good reason while also coming to terms with the fact that she had been the reason a person had died.

He'd had to lie to his mother and claim Darien was dead to keep her from digging into the case to find out what had happened and risk getting into trouble with people who were blocking his own attempts at every milestone.

And now this...

"What if it was your child?" He murmured, soft enough that Jaha might have missed it. But he didn't.

"Wells isn't..." The Chancellor stopped but Marcus knew what he'd wanted to say.

Wells wasn't like Darien. Wells was a good child and would never break the rules. Wells hadn't murdered someone.

"No, he's not. But what if it was your child?" Marcus demanded. "What if he was facing death and this was your only option that he may live on?"

Jaha's face was creased, anger and pity warring against the other before he rubbed at his face.

"Of course I'd do everything that I could to protect him." He answered before smiling wryly. "Though I'd like to think that if I was in that situation, I'd remain unbiased."

Marcus scoffed and Jaha's frown returned.

"That being said Marcus, I can't just change the rules whenever I wish. I may be Chancellor, but even I have to follow the law."

_And sometimes, only when it suits the Ark or the Council._

"Thelonious, I'm just asking that you consider it...for all that has been denied to me since her imprisonment and for everything I have done for you, please grant me this one thing." Marcus finally whispered before deciding to leave.

Jaha watched him go and as he reached the door, finally sighed.

"I will reconsider your request and discuss it with the council." He said. "But understand this Marcus. I will make no promises. There are rules and whatever you might think or want, Darien did go to prison for murder. The end result may not be the one you want."

Marcus, who had paused at the door, bit his lip to keep from saying something that may ruin whatever possible hope he now had, and simply nodded before leaving the room completely.

Outside, he breathed and considered what to do next. He was saved the thought when a familiar blond turned the corner, her arms folded.

"I thought you might see him." Diana said.

"Don't worry, he isn't going to change his mind." Marcus said and stepped around her. He had other duties to attend to besides listening to whatever she had to say.

"Then why try at all?" She asked, keeping pace with him as he left the corridor. "If it changed nothing, why try?"

"Some of us are human Diana." He all but spat at the woman. "I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I didn't try protect her. She is my daughter after all."

The blond hummed and Marcus wondered why she was still following him.

"Isn't there something else you need to be doing." He asked. _Like ruining someone else's life?_

"What if I could get your daughter on the dropship."

Marcus stilled completely and Diana walked past to stand in front of him.

She was lying. There's no way she would be offering something like this to him after all the troubles she's gone through to keep Darien where she is.

"What do you want?" He bit out.

She laughs.

"Marcus, what makes you think I want something?"

"You always want something Diana." He said sternly. "You've taken so much trouble to see Darien persecuted, I don't believe you'll freely help her now."

She smiled and patted his arm.

"I do want something." She said, blue eyes sharp. "I'll let your daughter have her freedom Marcus and one day, when I come to you for a favor, you won't ask any questions nor will you say no."

"Just a favor?" Marcus asked softly, brow raised.

"That's all I ask." Diana confirmed and held out her hand.

Marcus stared at her extended appendage as indecision warred within his thoughts.

Could he become indebted to this deceitful woman?

Everything in him screamed not to trust her. The favor she asked could be anything, even incriminating for himself.

Would it be worth it?

Diana frowned and slowly retracted her hand.

"Well, if you want Darien's floating date to go ahead as planned, it's no difference to me." She said and turned to leave.

"No, wait!"

_Darien was worth anything as long as she lived. She had to live. He owed it to Selene._

Marcus grabbed her hand and held it tight.

"Swear it." He growled. "Swear Darien will not be floated and that she will have a place on the dropship."

Diana smirked and squeezed his hand.

"I swear." She said. "And you?"

Marcus released her hand like a hot coal and grimaced before replying.

"I will owe you one favor of your choosing Diana, but only one…and I will not refuse."

"Good." She said and smiled, satisfied with the outcome. "We'll talk again Marcus."

Marcus watched her leave and rubbed his face.

He had sold his soul but maybe Darien would have a chance.

* * *

_Darien is eight when she discovers that she has more family beyond her beloved Nana and Marcus Kane._

_Robert and Rachel Mchale._

_Her mother's parents and by extension, another set of grandparents._

_Nana's husband had passed away long before Darien had been born, so she never knew him. Therefore the thought of having a grandfather and another grandmother is something she can't even find the words to describe._

_She wonders why she hasn't met them or why it took her overhearing a conversation between her father and Nana before she knew they even existed._

_She doesn't ask questions at first. Maybe there's a reason they don't want to know her or haven't met her. Maybe there's a reason her Nana has never mentioned them. And as slim as the chance may be, maybe they don't know about her._

_Even at the tender age of eight, Darien is aware that things can be complicated and sometimes not normal. Her own father is a perfect example._

_Yet she's curious. These grandparents she never knew were the parents of the mother she never knew. If anyone could tell her about the woman who passed away to bring her into the world, then certainly they were the best people to ask._

_It takes months of musing and doubt before she even considers attempting to ask Nana about them._

_When she does finally ask, her Nana only has a vague answer to give._

" _It's difficult to explain Starlight. They're very different people." She murmurs. "It would be best if you leave them be."_

_Darien ponders at these words for a few days but doesn't question her Nana further. If her Nana wanted to explain, then she would have._

_This doesn't satisfy her curiosity but Darien won't press the issue._

_She momentarily thinks about asking her father but quickly snubs that thought. It's hard to speak with him and if Nana (who almost always tells her everything) can't give her more information than he surely won't be any better._

_Darien decides to introduce herself to them. Even if it results in a truth she doesn't like._

_She wants to know._

_It takes her a week to locate the Mchale residence._

_Despite how near it is, it takes Darien nearly three hours to return to her own home._

_She doesn't ever ask about them again nor mention meeting them to her Nana. She doesn't look for them in the corridors or ever try again._

_They called her a murderer. They hate her for something she could not control. For their daughter dying. They don't consider her family._

_Darien accepts this with a strange sort of ease._

_When Robert and Rachel Mchale both pass away during the influenza epidemic a year later, Darien feels nothing but a brief sadness and regret that things between them could not have been different._

_If only they had given her a chance._

* * *

It was going on just over two years of confinement now, but Darien found time did not matter in isolation with your own thoughts as a constant companion.

It tended to make that period feel like a lifetime.

Her sentence would be coming to an end in a few short days and she knew without a doubt that she would not be one of the rare few who managed to get integrated back into society.

Not that Darien knew of many cases where that had actually happened.

Especially when your crime was murder.

No, her only future involved the cold, eerie silence of space and a swift, sudden death as she was sucked through an airlock while her lungs imploded and she suffocated violently in a matter of seconds.

A rather macabre thought but nevertheless true.

Darien swallowed and hid her face in her arms.

She had so many regrets.

There was so much she wished she could say or do before she had to die.

Darien wanted to hug her grandmother one more time. To smell the earthy scent that always clung to the woman's clothes and to feel the callouses on her hands from years of knitting.

She wanted the chance to explain, maybe even see if the truth might actually make a difference.

Darien wanted to be with the few people she called friends and discover if they had changed or were they still exactly as she remembered.

Tears fell and she pressed her eyes shut to ebb the flow, not that it really succeeded.

Darien wanted to ask Marcus Kane if he ever thought about her and if she even mattered to him, even a little.

Most of all, she was torn between being scared and not caring at all.

She was scared that dying would hurt and scared that once her life had ended, the nightmare would not go away.

Would she be damned to suffer even if the afterlife for her crimes like the tortured souls that went to Hell is so many of those old world novels?

And in the same breath, she sometimes found she did not care.

In one corner of her mind, a rather terrible thought stood out among all the others and yet brought a certain measure of peace.

She'd no longer have anything to fear.

The paranoia and nightmares would vanish the moment her life ended.

She'd be completely free of any terror or guilt, no longer worried about waking in the clutches of a dream born memory where hands gripped her hair and lips bruised her skin and righteousness turned into horror.

She would never have to fear reliving the sound of her hands beating easily into flesh or the feeling of blood seeping through her clothes.

She'd be free from everything.

…

When the morning of her eighteenth birthday finally came, Darien woke well before breakfast was due to arrive. In fact, it was as though she had barely slept at all.

She did not feel tired but knew that her body had not got the required rest it most likely needed and yet she did not care.

How could she when today was the day she would die? What did sleep matter when she didn't need it for where she was going to end up?

So many thoughts tried to become center stage at once and she constantly had to remind herself to breath.

_Would they let her say goodbye to anyone?_

_Would she get to even see her Grandmother, Callie or any of her friends?_

_Would Marcus Kane even care that she would be gone..._

These thoughts pressed down on her like a weight. Dark and depressing.

Minutes turned into hours. Half a day passed and there was not a single sound to interrupt her solitude. No rations appeared. No guard to escort her. No sudden appearance of a council official to tell her that it was time to die.

Nothing.

She doesn't move. Has to keep telling herself to breath and not cry. The day passes in a blur of stuttered emotion and exhaustion.

When rations do suddenly appear, she is too shocked to react and has to wait until they appeared again before attempting to question the guard who brought them.

He says nothing and Darien is left asking questions she feels will never be answered.

She spends every day that follows, wondering when her floating will come and why they would be so cruel to prolong it.

Days pass by and no one answers her questions. The routine continues as if her birthday has not come and she has not turned eighteen.

Darien feels she will go mad, locked in this cell with no purpose left but to wait for whatever end may come.

* * *

Clarke Griffon stared at the newest drawing to grace her cells dreary steel walls, etched out carefully among the many sketches of flora, fauna and even the beginnings of a vast starry night.

The animal wasn't anything she ever had the pleasure of seeing in real-life, no one could claim such an honor as all of the Ark's current occupants had been born in space. This was merely copied from a picture she'd once come across in a book long ago.

A bird they called it. More specifically a bald eagle native to the country that had once been the United States of America.

A creature that could fly in the air and never have fear of falling.

It reminded her of freedom. And strangely, it reminded her of Darien.

It had been a year since Clarke's own arrest and the death of her father Jake Griffon, and though that moment still hurt (would always hurt), she had another hurt that flared almost as constantly.

She blinked and stepped away from the drawing, turning to stare out the window which looked out into the vast stretch of space and countless twinkling stars.

Stars that she and Darien had created stories about to pass the time or to just have silly fun when they were younger, smaller…more innocent.

Moments of wonder and joy that seemed so very far away now after all that had happened.

A sob caught in her throat and she brushed away sudden tears.

Clarke had counted the days, before her arrest and even more so after it.

Today was Darien's birthday. Today the Council would float her friend...and she would never get a chance to say goodbye.

To speak to her. To know why she had been arrested. To know why people called her a murderer.

She would never know why the girl who was practically her sister, could have been accused of such a crime when she was the most selfless being Clarke had ever known.

The blonde knelt on the floor and wrapped her arms around herself as if to keep warm. Tears dripped down her nose and cheeks and the pain inside almost felt like she was suffocating.

Darien Kane was going to die today and all Clarke could do was cry.

* * *

_Darien has few friends because it's so hard to talk to the children in her class who are so much louder and more confident than she is._

_Sometimes, when they try talk to her, she gets unexpectedly shy or scared because the idea of being treated differently due to who her father is or not being liked for any reason terrifies her, but at the same time she craves the idea of someone her own age that she can talk to and share secrets with._

_So Darien tries to befriend people, to get to know them and soon she has people she can be herself with._

_Of the few friends she has, one stands out above the rest._

_Her name is Clarke Griffon._

_Clarke reminds Darien of the sun. Bright, burning and passionate; a radiant ball of energy all contained in one small person._

_Clarke is relentless in her pursuit to get to know Darien, the only other girl in their class who will draw pictures beyond their usual prescribed classwork. The only girl with an imagination as vast as her own._

_They spend many afternoons with Clarke drawing pictures and Darien providing stories._

_Darien hopes they're best friends forever._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will confirm now that most of the series pairings will happen in some way or form, even if I alter it slightly. This is an AU after all.
> 
> If there are any suggestions for other pairings that readers would like to see, let me know, especially endgame pairings. I don't promise to give everyone what they want, but I do like to hear the general opinion compared to what I might be considering
> 
> Regarding where this story goes, I am not sure how AU it is going to turn but for now most of what happens in S1 and S2 (in some way or another) will still occur and for the most part follow those timelines. There will also be some influence from the books.
> 
> I haven't decided if I will use S3/4 canon.

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: No confirmed pairings yet though I am quite fond of mixing and matching whatever feels right. Let me know if you have any ideas on what you’d like to see. I’m flexible and have no set preference for pairing. Keep in mind I have final say but opinions are appreciated as I have a vague idea of what I am going to go with.
> 
> *Note that this story is a teaser for now and will not be updated for a while. I do have multiple chapters planned and half written, but since I have been absent from Fanfiction for almost a year and a bit, this is an attempt to spark my muse for I have sorely neglected many of my other stories and they will need some love before I dedicate more time to this.  
> *Edited 24/02/2017


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